State Fair

Just a couple quick shots of some of the fun we had at the fair this year :)

Logan's first trip to the fair!

My boys :)

Ryder's first time on the BIG slide!! I was nervous, but he was not!!  I could hear him giggling with excitement the whole way down!!  He liked it so much, he did it twice :)

Big enough for the trampoline this year!  He loved this!



Wordless Wednesday...Almost...Ok, Not At All...

I think I'm being sentimental because it's Ryder's last day of being 2 today!  But I couldn't let this go without leaving a caption as to why I took this photo.  Ryder and I were running errands together this past weekend (alone) and having a great time in the car together - windows open, singing along to the music, giggling...  All I could see in my rear view mirror was this huge grin on my happy kid's face.  Living in the moment and enjoying each moment.  I also couldn't help but think that before I know it, I'll be looking in my rear view mirror only to see two teenage boys...probably texting or listening to iPods...in their own world...  Three...THREE!! I feel like this little baby turned into a little boy overnight!

Then (6 mos)

And right now (last day of being 2!)

Pretty Much 3

We had such a fun weekend and I have so many photos to post! At the moment, I only have time to post one.  The biggest event of the weekend was Ryder's 3rd birthday party.  My toddler is now a pre-schooler (officially on Thurs)!  When we asked him when his birthday was (trying to get him to say August 30th like usual), he kept saying "right now!"

A couple funny things our little sports-addict said this weekend:

"Mom, can I sleep with my sports stuff (bat and glove)?"

"Mom, can I bring my imaginary ball?"

"Can I bring my mitten (glove) to the store?"

Love you Ry!!  You are growing into such a polite, sweet and athletic young boy :)

Billing Boys

So in love with each of these boys!!

Fridays With the Boys

I am loving Fridays.  I am so thankful for this time to watch my boys grow...to watch Ryder read and sing to Logan, to go on special outings, to listen as Ryder's vocabulary and creativity develop, to watch Logan's "firsts"...thank you to daddy for working so hard so we can have this special time together :)

Last Friday's picnic

Ryder reading to his little bro today

Logan and I pitching to Ryder this morning.  I love how Ry wiggles his bat, tightens his imaginary batting gloves and puts on a "game face", just like the pros :) When I asked him to get the ball he hit from under the tree, he said "Noo...on tv, the batter doesn't get the ball!"  Ha!  Thankfully he realized I was looking for help and did it anyway :)

Just Us

On Tuesday, we went on a little hike after work.  It was so relaxing to just be out in nature with no agenda.

No cars, no people, no noise...just us....

No chores, no to-do list, completely unplugged...just us....

...a much needed evening of slow and calm in what often feels like a pretty fast-paced life...

Just One...

I am going through little miss Leyla's photos from our shoot today and I can't help but post at least one sweet little photo!! More to come. Enjoy!

Tahoe

Last weekend, Shawn, Logan and I spent the weekend in Lake Tahoe.  Shawn was in the area for the week for work, so Logan and I flew out to meet him for a long weekend.  Being that Ryder now needs a plane ticket of his own and isn't quite as "portable" anymore, he enjoyed a "vacation" at Nana and Bumpa's :)

Flying alone with an infant was a lot trickier than I anticipated! Simple things like taking off your shoes at security, going to the bathroom and eating on a 4 hour flight become much more difficult with an infant strapped to your tummy!  I was so thankful for the kind people on my flight and in the security line that held Logan for me and helped me throughout the adventure.  So so thankful. By the end of the flight, I think half the plane knew Logan...he was so smiley.  Even people at the baggage claim came up to us saying things like "Oh! There's our happy little guy!"

Because this is our family journal, I want to remember this moment at the end of the flight...After saying "Its okay, I got it" I gave in and literally stood with my arms in the air while a couple and the guy next to me buckled Logan in the Bjorn.  Also, in the security line, a young man held Logan (under the armpits, his arms fully extended out in front of him, slightly shaky) so that I could get my shoes and Bjorn back on.  THANK YOU!

Okay, on to the photos:

Waking up at the base of Heavenly.  Logan's first visit to a ski resort...next time we'll take him when there's snow :)

Showing Logan our favorite spot on the lake: Sunnyside

Martina & Chris's beautiful backyard!

Saturday we went for an awesome 6.3 mile hike.  It was Logan's first hike, but all the credit goes to daddy because he was a rockstar climbing multiple peaks with added weight on his tummy!

In the pic above, the boys are checking out the chutes Chris has skiied...I'm sure all 3 of them were wishing there was snow!

I loved these mossy trees! (There's Martina on the right!)

Chris checks out the view from a peak

Our final peak of the hike.  I know we went there for the view of Lake Tahoe, but this view of my boys gave it tough competition!

Headed toward the final peak (Martina in the foreground, Chris and Shawn up the trail)

On Sunday, I celebrated my 30th birthday by hitting the mountain bike trails at Northstar with Shawn.  Martina and Chris were awesome enough to watch Logan so we could get out for this cool experience.  I highly recommend it and would love to do it again someday :)

Riding the gondola and chairlifts up meant we pretty much only had to ride down the mountain :)

This is how Logan and I traveled - baby on my tummy, backpack on the back.  Then I had two hands free for his carseat and our roller bag! Whew! (Logan, you could have smiled...)

Thanks so much for an awesome weekend Martina & Chris! We loved hanging out at your place and exploring your playground :)

Walker Tri

At the end of July, Shawn completed his first triathlon: the Walker "Chase the Police" tri.  I liked what the announcer said the morning of the race: "If you own a pair of running shoes, you're probably a runner.  If you own a bike, you're a biker.  If you use your goggles, you're a swimmer.....But you're not a triathlete until you complete an event like this."

Congratulations on becoming a triathlete hun :) We enjoyed watching you race.

3 Month Comparison

Now I think they look totally different!

...A current picture of them:

Blue-eyed Logan and brown-eyed Ry :)